The last opponent a young athlete might expect to face in competition is one of his or her parents. But 16-year-old equestrienne Tayler Cobb competes — and often wins — against her mother, Nicole, in horse jumping shows like the Oregon High Desert Classics.

The annual horse show in Bend hosts many riders with a variety of backgrounds. But a mother-daughter duo competing against one another is rare, according to 45-year-old Nicole Cobb.

Last September, Tayler entered her first Grand Prix competition at the Bend Fall Fest Horse Show in Tumalo, near where the Cobbs reside. She was up against many professional and accomplished amateur riders, her mom among them. Tayler impressively beat everyone in the class, including Nicole.

Tayler fell in love with horse jumping as a child while watching her mother compete. She started in pony jumping classes and progressed rapidly until two years ago when her mother gave her a career-changing gift: a dark brown, 17-year-old warmblood gelding named Odysseus, nicknamed “Odie.”

“I was born into it,” says Tayler, a junior-to-be at Redmond Proficiency Academy. “I was riding before I could walk.”

Nicole’s husband and Tayler’s father, Greg Cobb, purchased the stunning and spirited horse more than 10 years ago. But Nicole first laid eyes on Odie several years prior to the purchase at the ranch where she worked. At the time, he was a 4-year-old stallion just starting his career.

“I was training horses,” Nicole says. “(And) I started jumping and showing him for two years. Then my husband bought him for me as a Christmas present. He was around 6 years old and he has been in the family ever since.”

While growing up, Tayler learned by watching her mom compete atop Odie.

“She watched me win, lose, draw, and all the ups and downs of that horse,” Nicole says. “So when she learned to ride and jump, (Odie) knew everything and she had seen everything. It’s just cool to have a horse that long (and) stay in the family.”

Flash forward nearly 13 years, and Odysseus is no longer partnered with Nicole but rather with Tayler. The teen rider and her savvy, seasoned horse have gone on to win countless competition classes and several thousand dollars in earnings in the past year alone.

“I’ve been watching my mom compete at (the Grand Prix) level since I can remember,” Tayler says. “So to be there is kind of unreal.”

According to Greg Cobb, Tayler and Odie are a perfect match. He says Odysseus is a completely different horse now. And, while it took years for Nicole to fully understand Odie’s personality traits, it took Tayler mere months. Tayler’s dad attributes her success to the unique bond she shares with Odysseus.

“It’s been an amazing transition,” he says. “(Odie) was at the point with Nicole that we weren’t sure where else he could go. And with Tayler, it’s been a great transition. The relationship between Odie and Tayler is 100 percent different than Odie and Nicole.”

While Tayler has been around horses her entire life, her mother was 12 when she started riding. Nicole quickly fell in love with the sport of horse jumping, and in order to finance the expensive competitions and training she worked at barns in the Portland area cleaning stables, grooming horses and braiding manes.

These days, both Tayler and Nicole are trained by Jeff Cook, of Bend. When Tayler was younger, Nicole was her primary trainer. But now that Tayler is aboard Odysseus, Cook has taken over most of the coaching.

“Jeff coached me on Odysseus for quite a few years,” Nicole says. “And what was cool was when she (Tayler) started riding him she had me to help, but at the horse shows, she has Jeff to help her. At the horse shows we almost always had someone else coach her, because (having) mom telling her what to do all the time gets old.”

According to Cook, Nicole and Tayler are both gifted riders. He says the two have similar riding traits.

“Nicole, I’ve always said, has a lot of natural talent,” Cook says. “And Tayler, I see a lot of Nicole’s talent in Tayler’s riding.”

The mother and daughter rarely practice together because they ride at different stables, but they maintain similar training routines.

Nicole says strength training and conditioning are the most crucial elements in their workouts.

“On the trained horses, like (Odie), those horses don’t typically practice jumping courses the same way we would when we’re competing,” Nicole says. “We save that for the ring.”

Tayler and Nicole competed against each other in the Jumpers 1.20-meter class Wednesday on the opening day of the 2013 Oregon High Desert Classics. Nicole was on board Blue Hour, a warmblood mare, but had two faults and did not place. Tayler had no faults and ended up placing fifth in the class of 20 despite, according to her, riding cautiously with wide turns.

During this week’s High Desert Classics, Tayler hopes to compete in the Young Riders class, in which she would jump fences ranging from 1.45 to 1.50 meters high, and also in the Oxford Hotel Group Grand Prix this Saturday. Nicole will be riding numerous horses for Bend’s West Ridge Stables this week and may also compete in the Grand Prix.

Like many young riders, Tayler dreams of competing in the Olympics. But she acknowledges that she has a long way to go. She plans to attend a four-year college first but will continue competitions through school.

“I think with any sport you’re really serious about, the Olympics is always at the top of your list,” Tayler says.

Her dad describes her ability to connect with every horse, calling it her equestrian strength.

“Tayler has an uncanny natural ability with pretty much every horse she gets on to bond with that horse,” Greg Cobb says.

Nicole’s goals are more short-term — and much cheaper. While she enjoys riding competitively against her daughter, she is working on trying to beat Tayler in the Grand Prix that started it all in this family rivalry: the Bend Fall Fest Horse Show in September.

“My favorite part is getting to watch my kid and just being so proud of her,” Nicole says.

“But, watch out!” she adds with a smile. “I’m coming for you, Tayler!”